It’s Never Too Late

This is my first blog about being artists and the first story I am going to tell is my own. I have been an artist for more than 20 years and here are the circumstances that brought me to art. Before becoming an artist, I had always had creative yearnings. I was creative in sewing, crafts, painting furniture, doodling, writing, etc. But just about everything I did, I had to do it differently, uniquely, and if I didn’t, then it just didn’t feel right. It just wasn’t me.

As far as becoming an artist goes, I never even thought about it. I didn’t see myself as having talent. I couldn’t draw… let alone paint. When I drew pictures as a child, my mother would say, to my disappointment, “That’s nice dear. What is it?” I do remember though, how much I loved to draw and paint. There was nothing more wonderful to me than to have a big pad of newsprint and a new box of crayons. [Ahhhh, that new crayon smell…..]

In high school we had the option of taking art, vocal or instrumental music classes. Excitedly, I signed up for art right away. But, I did not get accepted. Instead I was put into the vocal music class. [I don’t know why; it’s not like I could sing!] So, for the next five years of high school, I envied the cool, art students from afar.

Then in university, I could not go into Fine Arts because I had not taken art in high school. That pretty much put any question of pursuing art to a stop for me. Besides, there were many things ahead for me in my future, right? The only problem was, that through the years, my creative longing did not cease.

Finally, in the early 90’s, an opportunity presented itself. I was living in a small city where the local community centre was offering weekly art classes in different types of media. I thought to myself that I would like to try it out to see to if I had even a snippet oftalent.

Well, that class changed my life. Not only did I have a snippet of talent, but I loved it. I really, really, lovedit. For the next few years I joined art clubs and took numerous workshops from talented artists to learn how to paint. A few years later I started teaching watercolour classes and spent some time working as an Art Consultant. One of the best outcomes from my art life was gaining a large community of friends that I socialize, travel and gallery-hop with.

The point of my story is this, “It is never too late to become what you might havebeen.” [George Elliot] And I am happy to point out, that many people who come to my art workshops are Boomers, who, finding that they now have time for themselves, are pursuing their passion for art.

Art has given me a life I only used to dream of. I love it, I am fulfilled by it, and this is how I came to be an artist.